In the Go Wild! program, Steve introduces students to topics like the scientific process, metamorphosis, recycling, and various animals or insects we might find in our backyard.  Below is a sample listing and summary of books used in this program.

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
ISBN 037582538X
Random House Children’s Books © 2004

Summary: Librarian Molly McGrew accidentally drives her bookmobile into the zoo, and then the fun begins! The animals draw close to listen to a Dr. Seuss story, and soon they begin stampeding "to learn all about this new something called reading." She finds the perfect book for every animal—tall books for giraffes, tiny ones for crickets. In no time at all, Molly has them “forsaking their niches, their nests, and their nooks,” going “wild, simply wild, about wonderful books.”

Tadpoles and Frogs by Anna Milbourne
ISBN 0794501648
Usborne Books © 2002

Summary: What does a tadpole eat? How long does it take for it to grow into a full-grown frog? In this book you'll find the answers and lots more about the fascinating world under the sea. The easy-to-read text has been specially written with the help of a reading expert.







Forest Explorer by Nic Bishop
ISBN 0439174805
Scholastic, Inc., 2004

Summary: Explore the exciting world of the forest, where more than 125 different bugs, worms, and small critters play out the drama of life in miniature. Seven different life-size forest habitats, exploring the leaf-litter to the tree-top canopy through all four seasons, are vividly depicted in enticingly lush photographic scenes. Each scene is followed by "field notes" which identify all animals, relate intriguing facts about survival in each habitat, and share the excitement of discovery.


All About Chameleons & Anoles by Mervin F. Roberts
ISBN 087666902X
T.F.H. Publications, 1977

Summary: Many people mistake the common green anole with Old World chameleons and this book keeps this mistake alive and well. The book’s main focus is on the captive care of various species of Anoles, common to the Southern US and the Carribean Islands. If you are keeping anoles (order Iguanid) and related small lizards, this is a good basic read.

Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley
ISBN 0439666538
Scholastic Press 2005

Summary: Brilliant color photos of Madagascar panther chameleons highlight this slender story of a male who runs into a defensive female while changing territories in his search for food. Fortunately, she recognizes his peaceful demeanor and accepts his intrusion.


From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
ISBN 0060242647
Harper Collins, © 1996

Summary: It seems to have disappeared, but it hasn't. It has turned into a butterfly! From the time a caterpillar first hatches. It sheds its skin several times as it grows bigger. Eventually it forms a shell called a chrysalis. Nothing seems to happen. But then one day the chrysalis opens. What a magical metamorphosis!

DK Guide to Birds by Ben Morgan
ISBN 0756602688
DK Publishing, © 2004

Summary: DK Guide to Birds uses extraordinary photography and expertly written text to show behavior, habitats, and social structures of almost every bird.

Professor Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher by Stephanie Gwyn Brown.
ISBN 1-58246-087-6
Tricycle Press © 2003

Summary: A hot, dry desert. A tired, thirsty crow. A tall pitcher of water. Think you know the story? Think again! In her reinterpretation of Aesop’s classic fable of perseverance, Stephanie Gwyn Brown guides readers through all six steps of the scientific method—from question to communication—with Crow as the model scientist.


Epossumondas by Coleen Salley
ISBN 015216748X
Harcourt Children’s Books 2002

Summary: Veteran children's lit professor Coleen Salley tells a variation on her signature story, an archetypal "noodlehead" tale based on the time-honored Southern legend of Epaminondas. A "sweet patootie" named Epossumondas headlines here as a be-diapered young possum who follows his mama's instructions a little too literally.
 

Recycle by Gail Gibbons
ISBN 0316309435
Little Brown and Company 1992

Summary: An eminently readable and well-organized offering that's filled with information. Gibbons' cartoons in primary shapes and colors graphically illustrate the contents of a landfill and how to recycle various products to cut down on the need for landfills--for which space is already in short supply.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
ISBN 0689841345
Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books

Summary: Fancher's adaptation of Margery Williams's classic story sings with the magic of the original, while offering a shorter, more accessible version for modern children. At last librarians have something to give parents who want to share the story of the toy that became real with their children, but are dismayed to find the original tale longer than they had remembered.